1. Tumour and nutritional status
1.1. What is cancer cachexia?
In the majority of tumour-bearing patients
systemic proinflammatory processes are acti-
vated. Resulting metabolic derangements in-
clude insulin resistance, increased lipolysis and
high normal or increased lipid oxidation with
loss of body fat, increased protein turnover with
loss of muscle mass and an increase in produc-
tion of acute phase proteins.
The systemic inflammatory reaction that devel-
ops with many cancers is an important cause of
loss of appetite (anorexia) and weight. The
syndrome of decreased appetite, weight loss,
metabolic alterations and inflammatory state is
referred to as cachexia, cancer cachexia or
cancer anorexia–cachexia syndrome (CACS).
These cytokine-induced metabolic alterations
appear to prevent cachectic patients from
regaining body cell mass (BCM) during nutri-
tional support, are associated with a reduced
life expectancy (III), and are not relieved by
exogenous nutrients alone. Attempts to modu-
late these changes by other means should be
integrated into the management of cancer
patients (C). Nutritional assessment of cancer
patients should be performed frequently, and
nutritional intervention initiated early when
deficits are detected (C).
Comment: While undernutrition, both moderate
and severe, is frequent in patients with malignant
disease, many tumour-bearing patients display
elevated inflammatory markers.
1–4
The observed
release of cytokines, catabolic hormones and
further regulatory peptides appears to be the
primary reaction of the cancer patient’s host
tissues.
1–3
In addition, substances produced by
tumour cells, such as tumour lipid mobilising factor
(LMF) and proteolysis inducing factor (PIF), may
add catabolic signals and further stimulate cytokine
production and the acute phase response.
5,6
The
systemic inflammatory reaction is assumed to be
involved in causing loss of appetite
7
and body
weight
8–11
and may facilitate tumour progres-
sion.
12,13
Cytokine-induced metabolic alterations
also appear to prevent cachectic patients from
regaining BCM during nutritional support
14
and are
associated with a reduced life expectancy.
4,6,8,15–17
Impaired glucose tolerance due to insulin resis-
tance was an early finding in cancer patients.
18
The
relation of insulin to catabolic hormones is altered
and an increased cortisol secretion as well as a
reduced insulin:cortisol ratio are common.
2,19
As a
result glucose turnover and gluconeogenesis are
increased.
3
Weight loss in cancer patients is accompanied by
a loss of fat as well as by enhanced plasma levels of
triglycerides. Lipid oxidation can be normal or
increased. What causes the alterations in lipid
metabolism remains unclear.
2
However, increased
lipolysis is frequently observed.
20,21
Simulta-
neously, lipid oxidation is increased
21–23
or in the
high normal range,
24
while glucose oxidation is
impaired. These observations may be taken to
support recommendations to increase the fat/
carbohydrate ratio in feeding cancer patients.
The pro-inflammatory milieu
5,25
induces skeletal
muscle proteolysis
3,26
resulting in a loss of muscle
mass and simultaneously leads to an increased
production of acute phase proteins. The ATP- and
ubiquitin-dependent proteasome proteolytic system
is activated at an early stage.
27,28
Thus, cachexia
should be no longer considered a late stage phenom-
enon. Rather, since the metabolic and molecular
mechanisms ultimately leading to the phenotypic
pattern of the anorexia–cachexia syndrome are
already operating early during tumour growth and
development, cachexia should be seen as a partially
preventable phenomenon, the onset of which could
be at least delayed by means of early pharmacolo-
gical and nutritional intervention.
29
1.2. Does cancer influence nutritional status?
Yes. Weight loss is frequently the first symptom
occurring in cancer patients. Depending on
tumour entity, weight loss is reported in 30 to
more than 80% of patients and is severe (410%
of initial weight) in some 15% (IIb).
Comment: Weight loss preceding tumour diagnosis
has been reported by many groups to occur in
31–87% of the patients, depending on the tumour
entity
30–33
(III). A severe involuntary weight loss of
more than 10% of initial weight over the previous 6
months has already occurred in 15% of all patients
at the time of diagnosis.
30
Eighty-five per cent of
patients with pancreatic or stomach cancer have
lost weight at the time of diagnosis, and in 30% the
loss was severe.
30
Both frequency and severity of
weight loss are correlated with tumour stage
34
(III).
Quite often, when toxicity of treatment outweighs
tumour response, cancer therapies are associated
with anorexia and further weight loss
35,36
(IV).
1.3. Does nutritional status influence the clinical
course and the prognosis?
An impaired nutritional status is associated with
reduced quality of life, lower activity level,
ARTICLE IN PRESS
J. Arends et al.248